ORANGE PARK – Sandra L. Staudt-Killea realized her nonprofit was about to be honored as the Paul E. Reinhold Community Service Award winner shortly after Olivia Myers started talking about the winner during Tuesday morning’s Celebrate Clay breakfast.

Her suspicions were confirmed when Myers said:

“It is our civic responsibility to be good stewards of the Earth’s resources and to feed the most vulnerable. The agency we honor today is a clear champion on both fronts, bridging the gap between waste and want.

“We’re so proud to present this year’s Paul E. Reinold Community Service Award to Waste Not Want Not.”

Staudt-Killea’s agency was one of more than 100 local nonprofits hoping to earn a portion of the $100,000 that was awarded.

“It was so exciting waiting to hear the words,” the executive director said. “It’s like a beauty pageant. You don’t want to hear your name too soon. At the same time, the longer you don’t hear your name, you start to worry about it being too late.”

Staudt-Killea operates a group that collects unused food and redistributes it to 47 food banks that feed 7,000 people a week.

“The unique community outreach agency we celebrate this morning connects the dots between surplus food and hungry people,” Myers said. “Fortunately, in 2022, 47 charities in Clay County that feed hungry people received the equivalent of 11,000 meals every week thanks to this agency. This food feeds more than 7,000 people in Clay County every week.

“Eighty-three percent of the charities served by this agency said it would be extremely difficult or very difficult to continue providing their current level of service without this food service agency. Nearly three-quarters said they would have had to reduce the amount of food they provided to each client, and one-third stated that they would have to reduce the number of times they serve altogether.”

Waste Not Want Not earned the top award of $15,000 from the Paul and Klare Reinhold Foundation. The organization was one of 47 county nonprofits that were selected for a variety of prizes.

The Way Free Medical Clinic and Clay Behavioral Health Center earned $7,000 after winning the Judge’s Choice Program Awards. Penney Retirement Community President and CEO Teresa Scott earned the Jack Myers Executive Director Award and Saved 2 Serve’s William Darnell won the Peggy Bryan Volunteer of the Year Award. Both earned $7,000 checks.

The spotlight during the annual breakfast at the Thrasher-Horne Center clearly focused on Waste Not Want Not.

“Ever resilient, this team rescued and distributed two million pounds of food last year within the value of $3.2 million.”

First-time winners included Saved 2 Serve, Seeds of Love Ministry, The Vineyards Transitional Center and Clay County Rescue Mission.

According to the foundation’s executive director Amy Parker, Clay County nonprofits, involving more than 11,000 volunteers, secured $36.8 million in grants and contributions, raised $2 million in fundraising, and earned about $44 million in other income like thrift stores, ticket sales and rentals.